Senior Running Back James Mallory Named AFCA All-American

The honors continue to roll in for senior running back James Mallory. Mallory, the 2009 Northeast Conference Offensive Player of the Year, was named to the American Football Coaches Association All America Team on Wednesday. Mallory is the second Blue Devil in the last four seasons to earn the honor. He is only the second Central player to receive the honor at the FCS level.

"What a great honor for a great player," head coach Jeff McInerney said following the announcement. "James is everything you want a young man to be. He is a hard worker and a great student-athlete. More importantly, he is a great person and teammate. James is very deserving of this honor and I am happy to see that he has been recognized as one of the nation's top student-athletes."

Mallory joins four former Blue Devils as AFCA All-Americans. He joins Justise Hairston (2006) as one of just two Blue Devils in their FCS history to receive the honor. The three previous selections were all chosen in the old college division, when CCSU played at the Division II level. They include Mike Walton (1974), Sal Cintorino (1984) and Doug Magazu (1988-89).

Mallory has also been chosen to the New England Sports Writers All-New England team for his efforts this season. His last two seasons at Central have been nothing short of spectacular.

He finished his senior season in 2009 with 1,352 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. His rushing total was good for 112.67 yards per game, the fourth highest total in the country. His 16 touchdowns put him 19th in the country in scoring on the season.

Mallory finished his career with 3,245 rushing yards, the second-highest total in school history. He ran for 2,872 yards in the last two seasons and scored 31 touchdowns during that time. He finished his career averaging 5.2 yards per carry and with 34 career scores. He is second all-time in school history with his 206 career points.

Mallory and his teammates put together one of the most successful football seasons in school history in 2009. They finished the year 9-3 and won their third NEC title in the last six seasons. The nine victories matched a school record.